2012 Recipients

Girls Advancing Technology: Computer Science Outreach Event

For most middle school girls, Computer Science is a foreign concept. It's perceived from a young age as something for boys or simply something not interesting. The statistics support this stereotype and the numbers are getting worse every year - the number of women graduating with a Bachelor's degree in CS is down 80% since 2000 (National Science Foundation). One of the most glaring gaps for girls and the strongest barriers to entry into a tech career is the lack of female role models.

Girls Advancing Technology seeks to improve girls' perception of careers in technology by exposing them to fun Computer Science activities, through hands-on activities with female industry mentors. To build off the success of last year's half day event, we plan on bringing more students and industry mentors to Xavier's campus for a full day of exploration to show how tech careers can be meaningful and interesting.

NEXUS Community Garden

The NEXUS Community Garden is entering its third season as a 30 plot community garden involving over 250 short-term and long-term participants per year including Xavier students, faculty, staff, and neighborhood residents. NEXUS is a hands-on and collaborative project that engages students, the broader University community, and surrounding neighborhood residents to grow food, learn about sustainable living, and build community on common ground. Course inclusion, volunteer projects, educational workshops, and student leadership ensures that students are engaged on a variety of levels as this project continues to grow, impacting their Xavier University experience from the intellectual to the spiritual into the future. From March through October each year, NEXUS serves as a hub of experiential learning and community engagement. Success is measured through eager and on-going participation and learning between our three communities. Women of Excellence Giving Circle funds are sought to specifically support increased course involvement, educational workshops, and student garden leadership - project pieces most closely aligned with the WOX mission, for most of the 2012 and 2013 garden seasons.

TRiO, Student Support Services Enrichment Xcursions

The mission of the TRiO, Student Support Services (SSS) program is: TRiO, SSS is committed to providing an academic, professional, financial and personal support system that guides student participants to benefit from educational opportunities and achieve a greater quality of life. In line with our mission, the TRiO, SSS Enrichment Xcursions will focus on academic, professional and personal development. The academic development component will help students understand their strengths in order to improve their academic performance through taking the StrengthsQuest assessment and receiving training. The professional development component will expose students to graduate school options and help them make the best educational choices for their future in order to be more employable. The personal development component will introduce the students to cultural experiences that they may not otherwise have access to.

Tuition Runs Out Day 2013

For the past five years, Tuition Runs Out Day has served as Xavier University's Student Alumni Association's signature event. With a mission of educating students on the vitality of alumni support and the impact that it plays on their everyday Xavier experience, SAA has organized passive and active programming throughout the school year culminating in an all-day event for the student body every spring since 2008. In working with the new Student Giving initiative, we have realized that our message of "giving back" does not only apply to alumni donations, but also students. We are seeking funding to expand our message and educate students on the ways they too can give back to Xavier through their time, talents, and treasures. Please see the following pages for our complete proposal. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Preparing Future Women of Excellence

The program proposed would create an outreach event that connects the women, both graduate and undergraduate, of the Xavier psychology department with an underprivileged and undeserved group of high school girls in the community. This is consistent with the Jesuit tradition of service as well as addresses the psychological issues of self-esteem, modeling behavior and professional development for women. The first goal of the program is to provide young women with mental preparedness, professional materials and interpersonal skills to empower them as future career women. The second goal is to encourage these young women to pursue their collegiate professional dreams through peer modeling and networking with current Xavier Students. The final goal is to promote what it means to excel as a future professional.

Strategies for Success Workshop for Non-Traditional Undergraduates

This proposal requests funds to develop and offer a workshop for the non-traditional, first time college student or students who have little prior college experience. The workshop will prepare the student for a successful college experience and will include reading and writing skills, study skills, time management, and technology. It has been reported that adult students represent the majority of prospective college students in our country and this population is expected to grow. Although most of the non-traditional students have prior college experience, our reports show that those who are entering college for the first time or return to college after a long absence may take a few courses then drop out. This workshop will aim to improve the retention of non-traditional students and will help the student gain the confidence and tools they need to succeed in college and meet their goal of earning a college degree at Xavier University.

Xavier University 2012 Summer Service Internship Program

Xavier's Summer Service Internship Program provides a unique opportunity to nurture the commitment to community engagement in Xavier students. Now in its 18th year, the Summer Service Internship Program has provided 368 students with a unique opportunity to nurture the commitment to community engagement. In the summer of 2012, the program will place another 20 Xavier undergraduates in carefully selected placement agencies where each student will provide service for 35 hours per week for nine weeks. The program is designed to teach the interns how to become leaders within the community and to understand the complex problems that disenfranchised populations face. Living together in the residence hall and gathering for reflection sessions and common meals strengthens this experience. As a unique, full-time immersion experience for Xavier students, the program provides two important student benefits: students are bale to serve the Greater Cincinnati community in a deep and meaningful way while earning necessary income from summer employment.

Xavier University Mentoring Program

The Xavier University Mentoring program, going into its fourth year, is a program geared toward connecting professionals with students within the College of Arts & Sciences and Social Sciences, & Education. The program has continued to grow in number as well as campus presence. We owe much of our successful growth to the financial support of the Women of Excellence Giving Circle. Continued success in growing and sustaining the XU Mentoring Program is contingent upon the monetary support of the Women of Excellence Giving Circle. This funding would enable the Career services Center (CSC) to continue to institute initiatives ensuring current mentors and mentees the opportunity to connect and learn as well as allow for targeted, large scale marketing efforts and events geared towards students, faculty, staff and potential mentors.

Xavier University Multicultural Expressions of Faith Art Exhibition

The purpose of the project is to affirm the mission of Xavier University through a community-engaged art endeavor that reflects the multicultural expressions of faith and spirituality of members of the university community. We refer specifically to one item in the mission: Institutional Transformation: Finally, in order to remain vital and viable as an institution, we aspire to institutionalize these commitments in every aspect of our endeavor and to build a culture in which all are accountable for advancing them. A fundamental building block of culture is visual art and the intentional collection and display of multi-culturally expressive art on Xavier's campus is our aim. Sponsored by the Department of Art in collaboration with the Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity, the Women's Center, the Center for Mission and Identity, the Dorothy Day Center for Faith and Justice, Brueggeman Center for Dialogue, University Communications, and the Center for Interfaith Community Engagement, this project will comprise a juried exhibition of original works of art (works of painting, sculpture, ceramics, fibers, printmaking, photography, and mixed-media), open to all Xavier alumni, faculty, staff and students. The selected works will then be exhibited in the Xavier University Art Gallery and Gallagher Student Center for public viewing. Purchase awards (again selected by jurors) made with the WOX grant monies will buy art for permanent exhibition on the university's campus. The project will advance institutional objectives related to mission and identity, diversity, community-engaged learning and outreach (jurors will be sought from Xavier and local arts institutions; exhibition will be promoted to local schools and faith-based organizations), and alumni engagement. It is a first step toward the acquisition of art guided by a mission-based, inclusive vision that seeks to broaden the scope of art currently found on this campus. To this end, the goal will be to establish a precedent for a more strategic process of future campus art acquisitions.

Women of Excellence Endowed Scholarship

Women of Excellence has been established as a major presence promoting women at Xavier. A critical component of our commitment to the advancement of women at Xavier is the establishment of Women of Excellence Scholarships.

Women of Excellence recognizes that Xavier's scholarship support is among its greatest needs and that Women's philanthropy is critical to Xavier's future and the establishment of scholarships sets the example for future generations of women who have experienced Xavier's Jesuit education and who are poised to make an impact on their communities and our world.

Ten WOX Founding Members have joined together to make a commitment to establish a Women of Excellence Endowed Scholarship at a base level of $50,000.

This grant will allow us to grow the base of this already established Women of Excellence Endowed Scholarship so the amount awarded each year will continue to grow. The interest earned each year (currently 4.5%) is distributed in accordance with policies established by the Board of Trustees of Xavier University and pursuant to criteria established by the Founding Members of the Women of Excellence Endowed Scholarship.